May 12, 2008 12:17 PM
Viva Las Vegas or low-stakes gaming for Colorado?
Do you want Colorado's gambling landscape to look like this:
or this:
Jonathan M. Anderson, former chief counsel to Gov. Bill Owens, writes:
The Colorado Gaming Association has submitted a 2008 ballot initiative that would pave the way to raising existing bet limits by 475 percent, allow for 24-hour gambling operations, and add Vegas-style craps and roulette to the existing gaming options. Essentially, they want to turn Colorado's limited gaming towns into a Western-themed Atlantic City.Since the limited gaming initiative was passed, seven ballot measures to expand gaming in Colorado have been resoundingly rejected by Colorado voters. These measures have attempted to expand gaming into western Colorado, eastern Colorado, Manitou Springs, lower downtown Denver, Trinidad and into racetracks throughout the state.
Attempts have been made to expand gaming across the entire state but these measures have been voted down by collective average margin of 76 percent. Colorado citizens have made it crystal clear that this state does not want to expand gaming beyond what was approved in 1990, but the Colorado Gaming Association is going to try to blow this door wide open in 2008.
Over the next six months, Colorado voters will have to endure yet another slick multimillion-dollar expansion-of-gaming campaign. The gaming association, made up of casino owners, will pour enormous sums of money into this initiative campaign; in fact they have already hired an elite army of lawyers, lobbyists, pollsters, consultants and campaign advisers to pass the initiative in November. These casino operators are not requesting a reasonable increase in the bet limit to account for inflation since 1990, they are seeking a dramatic and permanent shift away from limited stakes gaming in Colorado.
Is it time for Colorado to expand gambling options to attract more patrons and money? Would it lead to more casinos? Should casino patrons be able to play roulette and craps like gamblers do in Las Vegas and Atlantic City? Do you think gambling has been good for the state?
May 12, 2008
12:53 PM
Tree writes:
More gambling. Sounds like our state Guv't is in the collection bidness. We definitely need more cigarettes.
May 12, 2008
1:07 PM
Tree writes:
How could I leave this out. I'm still not going until we can sports gamble. Everything on red. Red Wings. You can wear your tinfoil hat, I'll drink out of my tinfoil cup and look out for flying octopus.
May 12, 2008
1:38 PM
jaybyrd writes:
No Dice! For one thing, the traffic situation and the early closing times (2am as opposed to 24-hour gambling in LV are big downers) LV is practically next door and both their hotel rates and airfares remain competitive. I go to Las V from Denver at least once a month...what could be worse than negotiating winter mountain traffic, as well as closing time traffic made up of angry gamblers who naively believe if the casino remained open they would have gotten their money back. Expansion benefits no one outside of the gambling industry.The ballot issue will be rejected...bet on it.
May 12, 2008
1:48 PM
David K. Williams, Jr. writes:
475%? What the heck is he talking about? The current limit is $5. If that is increased by 475%, the limit would be $23.75. That seems like an odd number. What do they want to make the limit? In Deadwood, it's $100. They ain't gonna be no Vegas or Atlantic City or even Tunica in Colorado with those limits. Let's don't declare the sky falling just yet.
May 12, 2008
2:07 PM
DR writes:
Low stakes is fine, but we need more games. How can anyone say they're "gambling" when there is no craps, no roulette, and no keno? The one-armed bandits and blackjack are fine, as is poker, but variety is the spice of life.
May 12, 2008
2:09 PM
Anonymous writes:
Yes Great Idea. Bring Big time gambling to the rockies and get rid of the Colorado Income tax.
Nevada has no state income tax. This is a great idea and Colorado will become a central magnet for tourists.
Big Casino needed in Stapleton
May 12, 2008
2:19 PM
jay writes:
i say knock yourselves out...i can't imagine anyone being against this.
May 12, 2008
3:18 PM
Kevin Jones writes:
Why is gouging the prodigal, the innumerate, and the improvident considered an effective, sustainable way to raise revenue?
The subprime mortgage disaster shows what happens when we encourage people to throw self-control to the wind. The government should not increase its financial interest in fostering even more incontinence.
May 12, 2008
3:34 PM
Gordon Gekko writes:
Kevin - Didn't anyone ever tell you that a fool and their money are lucky enough to get together in the first place?
May 12, 2008
4:14 PM
Anonymous writes:
If I am going to spend big bucks on Gambling, I want to be at least be able to have a smoke while giving large amounts of my money to the Casino and the State of Colorado.
No thanks, I will spend real money in Vegas and go to Central City only if someone comes in from out of town and we are bored to death for something to do.
I would love to see the Femdems that got the smoking ban here try to do that in Vegas...hahaha...they wouldn't even be acknowledged or taken serious.
May 12, 2008
5:17 PM
just sayin' writes:
there is a smoking ban in Vegas. Places that serve food
May 12, 2008
5:17 PM
just sayin' writes:
there is a smoking ban in Vegas. Places that serve food
May 12, 2008
5:34 PM
Ken writes:
Montana has 24/7 gambling, and every bar is allowed to have gambling inside. Helena Montana is not Las Vegas.
Enough with the slippery slope. Either make an intellectually honest argument against liberalizing the gambling laws or don't make an argument at all.
May 13, 2008
8:24 AM
just sayin' writes:
I'm with you Ken, no reason gambling should be against the law. I don't support any puritan laws. I think prostitution should be legal too. Whose business is it what 2 consenting adults decide to do? And Tree, how come "Hockey Town" is not selling out all of their playoff games?
May 13, 2008
8:25 AM
Anonymous writes:
Just bring craps and roulette and we will be good to go
May 13, 2008
8:43 AM
Steve M. writes:
Rocky Talk with Mark Wolf...why are you sensationalizing and fear-mongering in your presentation of the data. You are using a journalistic slight-of-hand to evoke images of and memories of failed previous initiatives that have nothing to do with this one at all, nothing! By doing so, you are hoping to entangle past failed measures with the new ones. Are you against this measure and already leading your own crusade, trying to get an early jump on the big bucks spending by the casino industry?
Well, I for one, would like to see this measure pass for a lot of reasons.
First, Colorado is a gigantic state. We have authorized three very small locations for gambling. But, we have not really allowed them to flourish by shackling them with a small allotment of games and low states. There is no conceivable reason not to allow the full assortment of games, higher stakes, and 24-hour operations if that's what casino visitors want. It's kind of like telling King Soopers that you can build a big store, but allow people to buy a max of $50 in groceries per visit, have their choice of only 5 kinds of cereal, and no you cannot be open 24-hours even if you want to. Would King Soopers be able to compete and please its customers? No!
I'm not a fan of sports betting, however, but if that's what people want, so be it. We need to allow our casinos to flourish just like the conglomerates out of state. We need to accept that we already opened Pandora's Box so we may as well commit to it. If we were so fortunate to be able to lure enough income to eliminate our sate income tax because of it, all the better. The thing people forget aobut Las Vegas, for example, is that the casinos are deriving gigantic sums of income from ancillary business--conventions, hotel rooms, restaurants, and entertainment. Sure, gambling is a big source too, but all the other parts are what really rake in the money for the state. Just think about how many dollars from hotel taxes alone are generated each and every day when most of these hotels have 1000s of rooms. Construction jobs (I know a guy who's a plummer who moved to Vegas because he could get a very high paying job--much more than anywhere in teh Denver area) working for a company building hotels and casinos. People argue that the jobs in casinos are all low-paying. Not true, and moreover, they are no less well paying that all of the jobs created by a new mall or lifestyle center.
As for the smoking ban...why not have smoking and non-smoking regions like they do at the airport. Let the smokers breathe eath other's second hand smoke in casinos. I relish that we have non-smoking casinos in Colorado now. They smell a million times better and there are a lot more non-smokers than smokers these days. But, if people want to inhale carcinogenic chemicals proved to cause lung cancer and emphysema let them. Just put them in sealed rooms and restaurants within the casinos that don't smokify the rest of the place. Again, this is done successfully at DIA with the smokers lounge and Mesa Verde restaurant.
Finally, Mark Wolf, again, I don't see your angle. I don't like your tactics. Be honest in what you are doing when you present your background story and know that your listeners/readers are not all below a 6th grade education/reading level and can see right through your smoke screen.
May 13, 2008
9:35 AM
ML writes:
Tree, I am officially rooting for the Penquins now, so your RedWings had better watch out, 'cause they're going down in the Finals!
May 13, 2008
11:10 AM
DR writes:
Tree - WINGS ALL THE WAY!!!! They look absolutely awesome, and I don't see any other team beating them for four games - no way, no how. Good luck!
May 13, 2008
11:56 AM
Typical RMN Blogger writes:
Mmmmkay? All of this is the fault of dem illegals and dem liberals. Git rid of dem folks, and this problem will solve itself, mmkay? Git-r-done!
May 13, 2008
12:12 PM
Tree writes:
ML, DR or is it Dr. ML!
Detroit has proven Octopus can fly. Penquins can't fly. Mark tried on 4/1 to Bush us into penquins flying but jay shot down that bird. Until Pittsburgh throws a penquin on the ice from the 20th row, they don't fly. Could you imagine M.Vick playing Q-back again and someone Monty Pythoned (catapult) a pit bull out onto the field? I won't go there, but I just did.
Anyway, the Red Wings in these series remind me of the Oilers of the 80's with Wayno. Just unstoppable. Dominating from the puck drop. You have to play your best game and get good bounces to beat Detroit in these playoffs. Ask Quenville if you can find him.
May 13, 2008
2:01 PM
Mark Wolf writes:
Those flying penguins weren't real?
May 14, 2008
6:30 AM
This is a great Idea writes:
There is a big difference between the top photo and bottom photo. The top looks like mayberry
The bottom looks like Big Money. If you put this near DIA with Hotels and let developers like steve Winn (who built Luxor, Mirage etc) with entertainment like Pirates, Hollywood will follow.
Colorado would make lots of money and be a hub for entertaining the whole midwest. Jobs would follow. No accident that Vegas has been one of the fastest growing cities this decade.
btw Cal has gaming now.
May 14, 2008
7:32 AM
ML writes:
Tree & DR - sorry boys, but the Wings will not be able to stop Crosby or Malkin, and will not be able to solve Fleury. Penquins in 5 or 6!